The present subject matter relates generally to systems and methods adapted to provide bill splitting and payment functionality. More specifically, the present subject matter provides a solution in which a mobile application integrates with a restaurant's point of sale (POS) system such that by providing a table identification, users may split and pay an itemized bill, including various tipping options, without the aid of servers or restaurant staff.
From both a customer's perspective and a server's perspective, it can be difficult, unpleasant, and inefficient to pay for a meal at a restaurant. The server must bring the bill to the table, the patron must determine a payment method and provide some physical form of payment (e.g., cash or transaction card), the server must return to the table to collect the payment and, in situations in which the patron is paying using a transaction card, return to the table for the patron's signature. Even when the customer pays in cash, the server may need to return to the table to bring appropriate change. Each piece of the transaction is fraught with inefficiencies. For example, the server is required to wait for the patron to produce a payment method, which may involve the server stopping by the table a couple of times to see if the patron has produced a payment method. Similarly, the patron who might be in a hurry must wait on the waiter to reappear at the patron's table in the midst of the waiter taking care of numerous other tables, all at different points along the dining process, in order to process the payment.
These issues increase in severity as the number of people dining in a group grows. Often, larger groups will desire to split the payment amongst a number of patrons. This often requires a calculation of each individual's contribution, coordination of multiple payment methods and/or the coordination of payment between patrons at the table. These complications can affect both the customers and the servers. Many times customers will write down the amount owed on the back of the bill and provide multiple payment methods for the server to manage. Other times, customers will ask that the bill be split, requiring more time and energy from the server, who must recall which items each customer is responsible for. What is needed is an easy way to add up an individual's contribution to the bill, calculate and add required tax, calculate and add desired or included tip, and pay electronically without physical media.
There is no successful solution on the market that addresses these concerns. Accordingly, there is a need for bill splitting and payment system and methods, as described and claimed herein.